Production starts on the Audi E5 Sportback in China

The first unit of the AUDI E5 Sportback has already rolled off the production line at the Anting plant in China, marking a milestone for Audi’s subsidiary in charge of this project in this market. Pre-sales of this model have also begun, with a base price of 235,900 yuan. That works out to just over 28 thousand euros at current exchange rates.

Unveiled at the Shanghai Auto Show last April, the E5 Sportback is an electric vehicle that combines the most innovative design with the most advanced technology. Its base version, called Pioneer, features a 76 kWh battery pack with which it can cover 618 km on a single charge, according to the optimistic Chinese CLTC homologation cycle. In this version, the battery pack is paired with a single motor integrated into the rear axle, producing 220 kW.

Audi offers two other mid-range versions of the E5 Sportback in the Chinese market, called Pioneer Plus and Pioneer Quattro. The first features a 100 kWh battery pack and a single motor that raises output to 300 kW, with a CLTC range of 773 km. The second has dual electric motors and all-wheel drive, as its Quattro name suggests, with a combined output of 386 kW and a CLTC range of 623 km thanks to its 83 kWh battery pack.

Additionally, at the top of the range, the Flagship Quattro version boosts the combined output of its two electric motors to 579 kW and increases the battery pack capacity to 100 kWh, offering a CLTC range of 647 km.

A Audi quite different from what we would expect from a vehicle of the brand in Europe

The E5 Sportback is based on the Advanced Digital Platform (ADP), developed in collaboration with SAIC, Audi’s partner in China. The Anting plant, located within the SAIC-Volkswagen complex, stands out for its high level of automation, cutting-edge technologies including machine learning for quality control, and a fully digitalized production management system. Initially, 700 employees will handle production of this new model, a figure that will grow in the coming years when production of two other Audi models already in the pipeline begins.

As for the battery packs of the different versions of this new Audi model for the Chinese market, as far as we know the 76 kWh unit uses LFP cells manufactured by an alliance between SAIC and CATL, while the 100 kWh unit uses NMC cells from CATL. No details have been revealed, however, about the 83 kWh battery pack. It is also worth noting that the electric motors are produced by Huayu Automotive Electric Systems, a subsidiary of SAIC, and body assembly is also handled by SAIC-Volkswagen.

At 4.88 metres long, the Audi E5 Sportback stands out for its advanced semi-autonomous driver assistance system, equipped with a LiDAR sensor on the roof, along with 26 additional sensors, including three radars, twelve ultrasonic sensors and eleven cameras. All the data generated is processed by Nvidia Orin X chips, with software from Momenta. The infotainment system, integrated into a 59-inch screen, uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8295 chip.

The first deliveries of the E5 Sportback are scheduled for September, consolidating Audi’s commitment to electrification and innovation in the Chinese market.